ABOUT
DAVID DOROSZ
Margó Prize–shortlisted
“I deeply believe that the only stories worth writing are the ones that dare to go all in—stories that get under your skin, hurt, confront you, have real stakes, and speak directly to the world we live in.”
As a novelist, Dávid Dorosz approaches stories with the same curiosity and sharp eye that shaped his earlier career in public life. He is fascinated by what drives people, how loyalties are formed, why lives are derailed, and how power operates—whether political, social, or deeply personal.
His debut novel, We all leave, is a tense, page-turning thriller that tackles difficult subjects with clarity and accessibility. Shortlisted for the Margó Literary Prize, it was hailed by critics as “the defining novel of its generation.” Dorosz’s prose is fast-paced, direct, and at times brutally honest, while maintaining the narrative momentum that draws readers in from the very first page.
As a writer, he seeks to layer reality in ways that are both gripping and emotionally resonant—to bring together the workings of large systems, the subtleties of human relationships, and our unspoken fears within a single compelling story. His second novel, The Orphans of Power, a deeper, more ambitious work, was published in February 2026. It fulfills his ambition to write about complex social and political issues without ever sacrificing the immersive power of storytelling.
For Dorosz, fiction is not an escape from reality but a mirror: a clear, sometimes painful, yet always profoundly human reflection of the world we inhabit.
David Dorosz was born in Budapest in 1985. He studied law at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and international relations at Corvinus University of Budapest, before earning an MBA in the United States on a scholarship.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Dorosz built a career in politics, public policy, and business. He served as campaign operations director for Hungary’s green party (LMP) in the 2010 parliamentary elections and was a Member of Parliament until 2014. In 2019, he managed Gergely Karácsony’s successful campaign for Mayor of Budapest, after which he served as Deputy Mayor responsible for climate policy and urban development until 2021.
For several years, he led an international tech company and now works primarily as a strategic advisor. In 2020, Dorosz was selected for the Atlantic Council‘s Millennium Leadership Program, a global network of emerging leaders. Alongside his work in Hungary’s national media, his articles have appeared in Politico Europe, The New York Times, and Democracy Now!. His first nonfiction book, Running Out of Time (2019), explores the defining global crises of our era.
His debut novel, We All Leave, tackles the questions many people discuss behind closed doors but rarely voice in public.
“My years in politics taught me that the most dangerous secrets are the ones people pretend don’t exist. Those secrets became the foundation of my novel,” Dorosz says. Set in the picturesque village of Tihany on the shores of Lake Balaton, the novel reveals a place that also reflects the contradictions of modern Hungary: beneath its dazzling surface lie decay, corruption, and simmering tensions.
“This is a novel about us—about the generation now in its thirties and forties, our ambitions, our fears, and our betrayals. I wrote it for everyone who has ever asked themselves: ‘How the hell did we end up here?'”
We All Leave is the story of a generation with more choices than any before it—and yet one that finds it increasingly difficult to choose.
Dorosz’s second novel, Where the Orphans of Power Die, was published in 2026. A gripping blend of emotionally charged drama and ruthless political thriller, it holds up a mirror to a country where power ultimately leaves everyone orphaned. Brutally honest yet utterly compelling, the novel paints a vivid portrait of a nation where the past never loosens its grip, lies have become institutionalised, and nothing is more dangerous than the search for the truth.
“This book is much more than a thriller—it’s a portrait of an era, not only of today, but of the past forty years as a whole.” — János Haász, novelist and journalist at 444
“A little farther east, Dorosz would have fallen out of a window for writing this.” — Ádám Farkas, film producer
“Tough, fearless, impossible to put down.” — András Murányi, former editor-in-chief of Népszabadság
David Dorosz lives in Vienna with his wife. Alongside writing, his passions are photography and travel.
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DAVID DOROSZ
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